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Jim Fairlie raised a very important point about the role of Parliament in ultimately holding the Government to account on the plans that will be produced. That is a very important role.

That comes back to my point about the different outcomes and the monitoring that we want. Local authorities will have exactly the same obligations, but we will, of course, continue to liaise with them as the plans are developed, to ensure that those effective mechanisms are in place.

No problem. First, it has been proposed that the legislation be subject to the negative procedure because we could be talking about quite detailed and lengthy lists that we might want to modify over time. That procedure would be the most effective way of making changes to the list of specified functions.

As for when that detail would come out, the intention is for the draft specified functions to be available as part of the consultations on the national food plans. Of course, people would be able to make their opinions known at that time. Moreover, because these things would be in secondary legislation, if any particular opinions were expressed or particular proposals made on other specified functions that should form part of the list, we would have a mechanism for making those modifications or amendments.

James Hamilton or the other officials might have further information to add on this point.

Yes, if you are speaking about the specific instrument that contains the specified functions. Obviously, there are a number of different instruments in the bill and some take the affirmative procedure and some the negative.

That is why we have done things the way we have. There is no specific consultation on the specified functions planned at the moment. The specified functions will be set out in regulations, which will then form part of the consultation when we go out to consult on the national food plan. Again, the specified functions will be in secondary legislation because we want to take opinions on them and look to modify them, should there be any recommendations for proposed changes throughout the process.

It is not possible for me to say that at the moment. I believe that the consultation on that bill will be carried out this year, so I cannot comment on the detail of it at the moment. However, we have the ministerial working group on food to ensure that we address issues that cut across other portfolios. I hope that that is helpful.

We are open to looking at all those examples, so it has been useful to hear all the evidence that has been given in that regard. It is in everyone’s interest that we get this right, and we can do so only by listening to people. I want to ensure that the process is as open, accessible and inclusive as possible. The point about lived experience is vital in that regard.

Again, it is not in the bill because we have committed to introducing it as part of the human rights legislation. It is not legally impossible for us to introduce a right to food, but we have decided that the human rights bill is the place to include it.

James Hamilton might want to add something.

I hope that I have outlined some of that in the vision that I articulated in my opening comments. In essence, a good food nation is one in which everyone is knowledgeable about food, knows where their food comes from and appreciates it. It is vital that people can access healthy, locally produced food that is produced in an environmentally sustainable way. It is about access to that knowledge and understanding. Everybody in Scotland should have a right to that.

You make a really important point. It is important to focus on what the bill is actually setting out to do and what it will enable us to do. It provides a legislative framework for and an underpinning of the work that we are already undertaking. The detail of what we hope to achieve and how we will deliver on our good food nation ambitions will be in the good food nation plans, while the bill itself provides the framework and legislative underpinning for those plans. You are absolutely right to make that point. It is important that we focus on what exactly the bill will do. A lot of the points that have been raised are matters for discussion with regard to some of the other policies that we are considering or the good food nation plans themselves.

There will be a consultation on the development of the draft plans. As the bill is set out at the moment, there is the opportunity for periodic review of the plans, which would take place every two years, and we would have to report on that. What we have set out in the bill provides that opportunity for scrutiny, but, of course, I will not prejudge or pre-empt the committee’s stage 1 consideration of all the evidence that you have heard. I will be happy to look at the report when it is published and hear any recommendations that the committee has.